


Outward Bounds

by Liz_87



Category: Casualty (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:40:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24538630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liz_87/pseuds/Liz_87
Summary: The gang go on an outward bounds team building course. Series 14.
Relationships: Lisa "Duffy" Duffin/Charlie Fairhead
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

"Whoever came up with this idea needs their head examining!" Grumbled Chloe as she pulled on a camouflage jacket. 

"That would be Holly." Replied Duffy as she finished tying her hair into a ponytail. 

"It might actually be fun..." Tina suggested with an optimistic tone in her voice.

"What, a 24 hour outward bounds team building exercise? You've got to be kidding me! It's going to be awful." Chloe replied. 

The staffroom door opened and Holly poked her head around it, a big grin on her face. "You all ready ladies? The minibus is here." 

Sighing they trudged after her and out the building. 

On arrival at the course arguments immediately began over how the group should be split up into two teams. 

"Girls verses boys!" Tina suggested. 

"No, that's not fair!" Complained Chloe. 

"I know! Doctors verses nurses." Suggested Barney. 

"Well that's not fair either, the nurses would have a huge advantage." Grumbled Sean. 

"Just because there's one more of us than you..." Tina began. 

"It's not just that. The nurses would be being led by nursing's answer to the dream team over there, whereas we get Max and Patrick!" He argued. 

"Oi!" Said Max. 

"No offense obviously Max." Sean replied.

"Right doctors verses nurses it is. Make sure you've got all your stuff - tents, sleeping bags, food, water and maps." Holly stated firmly. 

"I hate to burst your bubble Holly but you do realise it's January, the weather will be freezing tonight." Patrick observed. 

"That's the only reason the trust agreed to pay for it. It's cheaper in winter." Charlie laughed. 

"It'll be fine. Think of it as good practice for when you get sent out with the paramedics as part of a medical team." Duffy reasoned. 

"Planning to get yourself winched out of a helicopter again in the near future are you miss 'I was in the brownies'?" Charlie muttered sarcastically. 

Duffy rolled her eyes at him. Hopefully the fact he was making fun of her meant that their friendship truly was back on track after their major falling out a few weeks previously though she was concerned at the slight edge in his voice. The nursing team might not have the advantage Sean seemed to believe they would if he continued to behave like that..! 

"Come on, the longer we stand around arguing the sooner it'll be that it gets dark. I say we crack on. See you at the finish line losers!" Barney laughed and started off in the direction of the trail, the rest of the nursing team traipsing behind him. 

For their first challenge they had to scale and climb over a 10ft wall. Barney was first to suggest a solution. Turning to Charlie, he said, "If we boost one of the girls up we can pass the bags to her as she's sat on the top, which she can then lower down before we boost the other two girls over. They can then lower themselves down the other side." 

"Sounds like a good plan but there's one problem. How do we then get over?" 

"Well I could boost you up to grab the top of the wall." 

"And what about you?" 

"Um..." 

"Well two of us could stay sat on the top of the wall and pull him up?" Suggested Tina. 

"Brilliant idea!" Agreed Barney. 

They decided to send Chloe up first. She quickly got to the top and lowered the bags over to the other side as they were passed up to her. 

Once she was down the other side it was Duffy's turn to scale the wall. Placing her foot in the men's laced hands she reached upwards to grab the top of the wall. She missed and wobbled slightly. She lent against Charlie to steady herself to try again. Charlie swallowed awkwardly, feeling her thigh brush against his face brought back memories that really shouldn't be at the forefront of his mind right now. She'd managed to grab the top of the wall but was having issues pulling herself up enough to swing over it to the other side. His hand reached up, if he just gave her a slight nudge... His hand stopped in mid-air, no that wouldn't be appropriate... Would it? His mind was made up for him when he heard her call for help. He placed his hand on her bottom and pushed her upwards, his fingers unable to resist giving her a slight squeeze as he did so. 

"Are you ok?" Tina queried when she heard Duffy let out a small squeal as she went over the wall. 

"Um, no, I'm fine. Totally fine." Came the hurried reply from the other side of the wall.

The remaining three members of the team scaled the wall and then completed the rope swing challenge fairly easily too. Next came the final challenge of the day before they had to set up camp for the night. Chloe read the instructions aloud. "In order to find the rendezvous point you must split up into two pairs. Help each other to cross the remaining terrain and reach the destination. First pair to arrive wins extra rations for the night." She thought for a few moments. "I call dibs on Tina to be my partner. Um, Charlie, you and Duffy could team up too." 

"What am I chopped liver?!" Replied Barney. 

"Oops sorry! You come join us!" 

With the teams decided they all set off in search of the rendezvous point. 

After about an hour of hiking through the trees, Duffy looked over to see Charlie once again look at the map, rubbing his other hand across the back of his neck whilst he tilted the map sideways and then back to it's original position. "Please tell me you know where we're going." She said, a knot of concern beginning to build in her stomach. 

"Um, well..." 

"Charlie!" 

"I can figure this out. Just give me a minute." 

"Oh give it here and let me take a look!" She went to grab the map from him. 

"No! I've seen your navigating before Duffy. It's almost as bad as your driving!" He pulled the map back towards him. 

"Well that's what I get for letting you teach me! Now give it here." She tugged on the map again. 

"Will you please pack it in and let me concentrate?!" He gave the map one last yank towards him, pulling harder than she was expecting so she didn't have chance to let go before she found herself tumbling towards him. The collision sent him stumbling backwards. He didn't see the tree root behind him until they were both tripping over it and going crashing to the ground, Duffy landing with an "oof" on top of Charlie. 

Their faces were mere centimetres apart and they were both keenly aware of the way their bodies were pressed flush against each other. Their breathing quickened slightly as their gazes locked. They both knew they shouldn't but the temptation was difficult to resist as her lips grazed against his. A sudden noise from the trees startled them both and the moment was shattered. Duffy quickly rolled off Charlie and they both scrambled to stand up, neither quite able to look each other in the eye. Grabbing the map from the ground, Duffy glanced at it and declared, "I think we should go that way." Charlie nodded and followed her retreating figure.


	2. Chapter 2

Another hour passed in awkward near silence and they were no closer to finding the rendezvous point. It had also gotten dark, further hampering their efforts. Letting out a frustrated sigh Duffy sat down on a fallen tree trunk and opened her bag. 

"Are you ready to admit that you also have no idea where we are?" Charlie queried. 

"No I'm just hungry." She replied, pulling a chocolate bar out of the bag, tearing open the wrapper and taking a big bite. 

"Where did you get that? That's contraband!" 

"Snuck it in that's how." She replied smugly. 

Studying the map by torchlight, Charlie shook his head. "I've got a horrible feeling we're nowhere near the meet up point. How did we manage to get so lost?" 

"Some team we turned out to be." She muttered darkly. 

"Well if you'd listened to me earlier..." 

"Oh you would have liked that wouldn't you? You say 'jump' and I say 'how high?'. Well despite what some people might think I do have a mind of my own thank you!" 

"I get the feeling you're mad about something else other than us being lost..." 

She stood up, preparing to carry on walking. "It doesn't matter Charlie." 

"Well I think it does so how about you get whatever it is off your chest." 

"Fine. I'm sick of people thinking that I just do what you tell me to do, that I can't think for myself." 

"Who said that? It's utter nonsense, if anything you tend to do the exact opposite of anything I suggest." 

"If that's true then why did Max automatically assume I finished with him because you told me to?" 

Charlie sighed. "I'd really rather not talk about all of that again if it's all the same to you." He began to walk away. 

They trudged a bit further through the trees. "Look, Charlie, I..." Duffy began.

"Just drop it Duffy, please!" 

They reached a small clearing and looked around. Looking upwards Charlie noticed clouds gathering, blocking out the moonlight. "It looks like it's going to rain soon, we should probably pitch our tents so we have some shelter. We can find the others in the daylight, we're not going to get anywhere groping around in the darkness like this." 

She raised an eyebrow at his choice of phrase but looking up at the sky she saw that he was probably right. "Ok, let's set up camp here then." 

"Right, get your tent out and I'll help you put it up." 

"I don't have a tent in my bag Charlie, just a sleeping bag, food and water." 

"What? How are we supposed to set up camp with only one tent?" 

"There were two tents per team." A realisation hit her. "Chloe and Tina must have the other tent." 

"Well that's helpful given we have no idea where they are right now." He replied grumpily. 

"Oh give over complaining and let's get this tent up before it starts raining." 

They completed their task in near silence, an awkwardness creeping over them once again. They only spoke the bare minimum in order to complete their task and erect the tent. Just as Charlie drove the last peg into the ground the deluge from above began so they both quickly grabbed their bags and scrambled inside the tent. Opening her bag Duffy shared out the rather meagre looking rations that were contained within. 

Looking at the food in his hands Charlie sighed. "Is this all there is?" 

"Yes, I imagine the rest is at the meeting point." Duffy replied harshly. 

The only sounds heard while they ate their food was the rustling of packaging and the drumming of the rain on the outside of the tent. 

Finishing the last mouthful of food, Charlie sighed. "How the hell did we let Holly talk us into this?" 

"I thought it'd be fun to get out the house for a night." 

"I was supposed to be in Birmingham right now." He stated glumly.

"Why did you agree to come then?" 

"Holly is a very persuasive person. Though to be honest I'm starting to regret letting her talk me into it." 

"Charming!" 

"Also I run the nursing team so I had to come." 

"Oh you get such a kick out of reminding me of that fact don't you?" 

"I beg you're pardon?" 

"Do think it's any wonder that others don't think I've got a mind of my own when you still treat me like I'm a dumb junior nurse!" 

"Oh I'm well aware that you've got a brain Duffy, I just question whether you always use it!" 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh you know what I'm talking about." 

"I want to hear you say it Charlie." 

They sat glaring at each other for a few moments before Charlie let out a sigh. "Fine! Why Max?" 

Duffy shrugged nonchalantly. "Why not?" 

The silence echoed loudly around the tent. "That's not what's really bothering you though is it Charlie?" 

"You haven't answered my question Duffy. Why him?" Charlie countered. 

"He was the distraction I needed at the time." 

"Distraction from what exactly?" 

"How boring my life had gotten. He was exciting, fun. He took notice of the woman underneath all the drudgery."

"You slept with Max because you were bored? Unbelievable! That's utterly pathetic Duffy, it really is!" 

"Oh really? Funny how you didn't feel like that when it was you I was sleeping with!" She snapped back at him.

"That was a very different situation Duffy and you can't deny that." 

"How was it any different to what happened between me and Max?"

"Did what we had together really mean so little to you?" His gaze dropped to look at the floor, his voice subdued.

"We agreed to end it Charlie. To end it and move on." She replied sadly. 

"Well you certainly have! Didn't take you long, did it?" He spat back at her. 

"This is stupid! I slept with him because I wanted to, ok? Not that I need to justify myself to you Charlie Fairhead!" She turned away from him and started fiddling with the buckles on her bag, indicating that as far as she was concerned the conversation was over. 

After a few moments of silence, Charlie spoke again. "I don't think it's too much to ask why you slept with him Duffy." 

Duffy sighed heavily. "That's just it, Charlie, you don't actually want to know why I slept with him, you want to know why I didn't sleep with you." 

"For God sake Duffy, is that what you really think?"

"Don't deny it Charlie. You're jealous." She sat back and folded her arms. 

"I don't have to listen to this..."

"Well, it's that or go get soaking wet outside, your choice!"

Conceding her point about the weather, he sighed. "So it's my fault that you slept with Max?"

"Not everything I do is about you."

"Oh really. Then what gives you the right to say I'm jealous? I was just looking out for you. Did you forget about Andrew and the boys?"

"No you weren't, you were looking out for yourself."

"Oh so you want to lose everything do you? All for a bit of fun?" His voice began to rise again.

"Funny you choose now to suddenly become concerned about my marriage. It didn't seem to overly bother you when we were having sex on the back seat of your car!" Her voice rose to match his. 

"I, erm... That was very different..."

"Of course it was!" Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You can't compare us, to you and Max."

"Why not? I probably shouldn't have slept with either of you but I did." She mumbled awkwardly. 

"No, well..." He cleared his throat. "You can't possibly see a future with you and Max though."

"No but it's not like we had one either."

He sighed, sadness clearly evident in his eyes as he looked over at her. "Duffy..." 

"Well, unless you're secretly planning to divorce your wife..." She snapped back.

"I have Louis to think about Duffy." He tried to reason with her.

"I care about him too you know."

"Who?"

"Louis. He's your son, of course I care that he's happy."

"Then you'll know I'd do anything to keep him."

"I never suggested you abandon him."

"No, but I'm not exactly father of the year am I?"

"That's not entirely your fault."

"Isn't it? After less than a month of marriage Baz left for another city. Took Louis with her. I might as well be single. I can't exactly say I'm happy either Duffy. I never wanted all this to happen. But, it has. And, to be quite honest. I don't regret what happened between us, not at all."

"If you didn't regret it then why did you agree when I suggested we should call it quits?"

"Because it was your choice."

"It wasn't a choice I wanted to make but one of us had to be sensible."

"So you didn't, that is, you, erm..."

She looked down, unable to meet his gaze.

"Duffy?"

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation she turned away from him.

"I need to hear you say it Duffy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She began to pick at the skin around her nails, agitation clear audible in her voice. 

"Is that it? Is that all you can say?"

Her head snapped around to stare at him. "What do you want me to say? 'Let's throw our entire lives away and do a midnight flit together'? Grow up and get real Charlie!"

Sighing, he rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. "No, of course not. But, oh, I give up!" 

"Reality suddenly bite you did it?" She replied mockingly. 

"That's not what I meant, Duffy! We had so much to lose. If things were..."

"If things where what, Charlie? Different? Maybe you should have thought about that before you got married."

"Oh? So it's my fault for getting married is it? What about you? You've been married for years. Didn't stop you before did it?"

"If you objected so strongly to me getting married then why the hell did you agree to give me away at my wedding?"

"It was your choice Duffy. It's not like you ever listened to me anyway."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh here we go again! 'Duffy let me run your life for you coz I've decided you're clearly too stupid to do it for yourself!' I'm sick and tired of your interfering!"

"I'm not interfering!" He said, frustration written all over his face. 

"Really?! Some days I can't even cough without you telling me I'm doing something wrong!"

"For God sake Duffy it's not that! I'm just, just looking out for you. Why can't you see that?"

"I wish for once you'd just let go and let me live my life, I might make mistakes but that's just the way it goes. I'm sick of being told what to do!"

"Fine. Make all the mistakes you want. But, for once in your life will you just accept that I'm only doing it because I care about you."

"You're still telling me what to do so no I won't accept that!" She shot back, folding her arms firmly across her chest. 

Charlie simply rolled his eyes at her.

"Oh I'm sorry, is my refusal to do as I'm told bothering you?!" She sneered at him. 

"Can't you understand why I do it Duffy?"

"Would you prefer it if I was a good little girl who just did as she was told?"

"No, that's not what I want you to do. Will you just listen to what I'm saying?" His frustration at her mocking tone was growing rapidly. 

She sighed dramatically. "Why? It's just the same old rubbish - 'Duffy, you're an idiot. I know best'..." 

"I've never said that to you"

"You didn't have to."

He sighed angrily. "Duffy will you just listen?"

"Why should I? You never listen to me!"

"Duffy, I care about you."

"Of course you do." She scoffed.

"I don't want you to think that I don't. God why is this so hard..?"

"You say you care but then you go and try to throw my life upside down. How is that the actions of someone who cares?"

"Duffy it's not like that. It's much more than that."

"Is it really?"

"Duffy, I, I love you. Can't you see that?"

Her eyes widened with shock. "What?!"

Realising what he's just admitted he panics and looks away. "Do you understand now?" He mumbled.

She tried to speak but no words would come out.

"You obviously don't do you?" 

"I, er... Why now Charlie?"

"Now? It's not something that's easy to tell you Duffy."

"It's just three little words."

"Yeah, well, they're not just anything. They take a lot to say."

"All that time we were together you never said it, not really."

"I didn't think I had to"

"It would have been nice to have heard you say it."

"I thought you'd know how I felt"

"I'm not a mind reader Charlie."

"No. I guess not."

"So you can't expect me to know if you won't tell me."

"Does it change anything?"

She sighed. "Charlie we agreed..."

"What if I don't agree?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"I want to know if you feel the same."

"What difference does that make? We'd still be stuck in the same situation."

"But at least I'll know."

"What good would it do? Would it not just hurt more?"

He sighed, he felt like his heart had been smashed into a million pieces. "You obviously don't feel the same then."

"I didn't say that."

"Duffy, I don't know what else to say?"

"I don't want to make things difficult and even more awkward between us."

"You've said all I need to know."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"It doesn't matter." He opened the tent zip, and left.

She quickly scrambled after him. "Where the hell are you going?!"

He walked away from the tent into the rain and darkness.

"Charlie will you come back here?! Charlie!"

"Just go back into the tent Duffy. I need some space."

"You're getting soaked! Don't be so stupid!"

"I don't care!"

"This is ridiculous!"

"Yeah, it is."

"Charlie will you just stop it. Don't make it any harder than it already is for me."

"How can it be hard for you? I tell you that I love you and you just sit there like it means nothing. Do you have any idea how long I've waited to say that to you?" He walked further away from her, towards the trees. 

Running after him she shouted. "Don't you dare think that I don't love you too Charlie."

"What?" He turned around and looked at her, shocked and unsure he'd heard her correctly.

Closing the distance between them, she placed her hand on his cheek. "You heard me." She whispered and pressed her lips to his.


	3. Chapter 3

The kiss was brief, as they parted Duffy smiled. "We should probably get back inside the tent where it's dry." 

Looking at her in the darkness Charlie realised that her hair was plastered to her face by the rain. Even though she was only inches away from him, he suddenly felt quite cold. Taking her hand in his they rushed back to the tent and ducked inside. 

As she glanced down at her wet clothes, Duffy let out a short laugh. "I don't know about you but I didn't bring any spare clothes." 

He pulled his bag towards him and reached inside. "I've got a spare t-shirt you can have." He said, holding it out towards her. 

"No, that's yours! It wouldn't be right for me to take it." 

"Just take it, I don't want you to get cold. Please, let's not start arguing again." 

"Ok but won't you get cold?" 

"I'll be ok, I'd rather you kept warm." 

"Thank you Charlie."

"No problem. Like I said I don't want you getting cold." 

"I didn't just mean the t-shirt." 

"Oh?" 

"I'm sorry I shouted at you before. I realise you just want to look after me." 

"Is that really such a bad thing?" 

"I... Um... Well, I don't really know how to react when you do." 

"I'm not expecting anything from you, I do it because I care about you." 

She lent over and kissed him. Her lips felt soft and warm against his. Pulling back slightly he mumbled against her lips. "We should really get out of these wet clothes." 

She giggled. "So that was your plan all along was it?" 

He laughed. "A man can dream can't he?" He reached for the zip of her jacket and pulled it open. He ran his fingers along the hem of her t-shirt. He was about to pull it up when she stopped him. 

"You get the sleeping bags out ready. I don't want you throwing our clothes into one big pile. If we lay them out they might dry a bit before morning." 

He turned away to retrieve the sleeping bags from their rucksacks, fighting the urge to look over his shoulder and sneak a peak at her. Suddenly he heard her let out a frustrated sigh. 

"Oh bloody hell! Even my knickers are wet!" 

"I didn't think I still had that kind of effect on you." He heard her laugh and then felt something hit the back of his head. Reaching down he picked up one of her socks. 

"Charlie that's not what I meant! Although it is your fault." 

He felt her other sock hit him on the head seconds later. Picking that one up also he replied with a grin. "You'll run out of clothes eventually if you keep chucking them at me."

"Can I have them back please?" 

"No you threw them away so I'm keeping them!" 

She shook her head and laughed. She had gotten her t-shirt halfway over her head when he spoke again. 

"I'm holding out for something a bit more... lacy."

"Charlie Fairhead!" The shocked tone in her voice was slightly spoiled by the giggle that escaped shortly afterwards.

He shrugged. "Worth a shot." She giggled again.

He heard some more rustling before she declared. "All finished, you can turn back around now." 

He turned to see her sat wearing his t-shirt, her legs partially slipped into her sleeping bag. He looked over at her laid out clothes, something seemed odd about them but he couldn't work out what. 

"Oh, ah, ok. I'll just get ready then. Are you going to, um, turn around?" 

Her face broke out into a grin as she snuggled down into the sleeping bag in an attempt to get warmer and more comfortable. "Nope!" 

"Duffy..!" He groaned with frustration. 

"It's not like I haven't seen it all before Charlie." She winked at him, a saucy smile gracing her features. 

"Yes, well..." He sighed, unable to control the blush rising up his cheeks. He removed his jacket, boots and socks. He was about to open the buckle of his belt when he stopped and turned away slightly from her. 

She raised an eyebrow. "Since when did you become so shy?" She queried playfully. 

"It's cold in here!" He stammered. 

"The quicker you get undressed, the quicker you can get nice and warm over here." 

He pulled off his trousers and lay them next to his other clothes. He quickly jumped into his sleeping bag, pulling it up as high as he could around him. Nothing was said for a few minutes as the both stared up at the roof of the tent. Charlie finally risked a glance over in Duffy's direction. She was shivering. He reached out a hand and brushed his fingers across her cheek, it was icy cold. "Duffy you're freezing!" 

She forced a slight smile. "I'll be fine, honestly!" Her teeth chattered together as she spoke. 

"We need to get warmer, I'm not going to explain to the others how I let you catch hypothermia!" 

As nurses they both knew that the best way to keep warm was to share body heat. They glanced awkwardly at each other. Declaring their feelings and sharing a few kisses was one thing, but sharing a bed together was something very different. Without saying a word they both made their decision and edging closer together they spent a couple of minutes reorganising their sleeping bags, zipping them together to form one giant sleeping bag. That done, Charlie lay on his back and opened his arm out towards her. Duffy lay down beside him, resting her head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, resting his hand on her waist. Without thinking, Duffy draped her top leg over his and rested her hand on his chest, just like she'd always done in the past. Once again Charlie was struck by how perfectly she fit, nestled in his embrace, as though she was made just for him and he for her. 

He placed a kiss on the top of her head. "We should try to get some sleep." Duffy smiled, snuggled closer and closed her eyes. 

Despite his words, Charlie couldn't sleep. His mind was working overtime going over the events of the day, particularly the last couple of hours. He'd tried so hard to get over her, to loosen the grip she had on his heart and focus on his family, to convince himself that she'd been right, it was too big a risk to take. He'd finally been starting to make some progress when he'd seen her and Max together. If she'd stabbed him through the heart it would probably have hurt less than the pain he'd felt at that moment! He'd felt betrayed, heartbroken, and, yes, jealous. He looked down at her, admiring how beautiful she looked when she was sleeping when suddenly he felt her hand move on his chest, travelling down til it came to rest on his lower abdomen, a couple of her fingers tucking themselves under the waistband of his boxers. 

Unsure if she was still asleep or not, he decided to try a little test. Lifting his hand that rested on her waist he ran it down her side til he was able to grasp her bottom. He felt her lips quirk into a smile against his chest - she was most certainly awake! Her hand reached down inside his boxers and she wrapped her fingers around him. "Seems it's not as cold as you feared afterall." She remarked as she stroked her hand up and down. 

With his free hand he tilted her chin so she looked up at him and kissed her, his tongue pushing forcefully against her teeth. She yielded quickly, enjoying the sensations that his kisses and hands elicited deep within her. Breaking their kiss Charlie's lips travelled down her throat, stopping at a particular spot at the base of her neck. It was their little secret, only he knew how wild it sent her to be kissed there, that it was her weak spot. She moaned with pleasure as he lightly nipped her with his teeth. 

His hands travelled up her back under the t-shirt she wore. He suddenly stopped as he reached the clasp of her bra. Pulling back, he looked at her confused. "You never wear your bra in bed." 

She smiled. "Well I know how much you enjoy taking it off me so I decided to leave it on." 

With a devilish grin he moved his hands around to her chest, running his finger teasingly along the lacy edge of her bra. Reaching the centre of her cleavage his fingers brushed against the cluster of gemstones on her bra. "I'm surprised you kept this."

She smiled shyly. "I kept all your presents Charlie, I couldn't bare to part with them." 

A thought occured to him. If she was wearing that bra... His excitement grew further as he recalled the first time he'd seen her in it and the skimpy knickers that went with it.

"Interesting choice for a night in the wilderness Duffy!" He whispered and bit her earlobe. 

"You're complaining?!" She pouted, moving herself out of his arms slightly.

"Not at all." He replied, pulling her back towards him with one hand and expertly opening the bra's clasp with the other. Duffy hissed as the cold air hit her already aroused and sensitive nipples. This quickly turned to moans of pleasure as Charlie lowered his head to take one in his mouth. 

As he ran his fingertips across her other nipple, she let out a squeal. "Charlie! Your hands are freezing!" 

"I'd better warm them up then, hadn't I?" He chuckled as he suddenly slipped his hand inside her knickers. 

"Oh! You... Mmm!" 

"Better?" He smirked as his fingers began to caress her. 

"Much better." She gasped. Reaching her hands up she wrapped them around his neck and kissed him passionately. She felt him pull her knickers down her legs. She shifted her position so she was straddling his thighs. 

Charlie gazed up at her in the dim light of their torches that were laid on the floor. He was struck by how adorable she looked wearing his t-shirt, her face, devoid of make up, framed by strands of her hair that were beginning to dry into their natural wavy state. He rarely saw her like that, normally she wore her hair straightened and swept up off her face. The thought caused him to smile. 

Duffy noticed his stares and the smile on his face. Feeling slightly awkward she tilted her head to the side. "What?" 

He reached up and wrapped one of the curls around his fingers. "You should wear your hair like this more often, I really like it. You look just like you did when I first met you." He sat up and kissed her gently. "You look so beautiful." He whispered. 

She kissed him again, more firmly than his kiss. Placing her hands on his shoulders she gently pushed him to lay back down. Leaning forward she kissed him once more and took him inside her in one swift movement. Tangling his hands in her hair, he happily surrendered to her, allowing her to dictate the pace of their lovemaking. She moved slowly up and down, teasing and tormenting him until he could take no more. Moving his hands from her hair he grabbed her bottom and slammed their bodies together. She raised an eyebrow and smirked at his reaction. "Patience is a virtue Charlie!" She barely got the words out before she moaned in pleasure as he reached down between their joined bodies and his fingers found her most sensitive, erotic spot. 

"I'm not interested in virtues right now." He growled as he moved his hands back onto her bottom and used them to encourage her to thrust faster and take him deeper within her. Before long the pace of their thrusts became increasingly erratic and their moans of pleasure grew louder as they both fast approached their peaks. He shouted her name as he came inside her, the sensation triggering her orgasm. She let out several moans of pleasure before collapsing forward onto his chest. They lay there for a few minutes, their desires both thoroughly sated. 

Charlie knew that they should probably talk about what had just happened but as he looked at Duffy he noticed her eyes were clouding over with sleepiness. He pushed all thoughts from his mind, they could talk in the morning. Right now, all he cared about was the immeasurable joy of her being back in his arms, and bed, once again. With a smile on his face he quickly also succumbed to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Charlie awoke early the next morning, disturbed from his slumber by the sound of the wind rustling through the branches of the trees. His back ached from lying on the ground all night but he didn't want to move and risk awakening Duffy who was still sound asleep. Her hair was fanned out across his chest, a mass of unruly, crinkly waves. He slipped his hand out from the warmth of the sleeping bag and ran his fingers through her hair, twirling the strands around. Times like this were one of the things he'd missed most after they'd decided it was for the best that they stopped their... affair wasn't the right word, it made the whole thing seem taudry and cheap. To call it a relationship wouldn't be right either, not given the clandestine nature of their meetings - a necessity given their circumstances. He wanted nothing more than to be able to shout to anyone who would listen that she was the girl he loved and wanted to be with forever, but it was not to be and now he once more feared her waking and breaking his heart yet again when she walked away from him, back to her marriage that made her miserable but for some reason she still couldn't bring herself to break free from. 

He closed his eyes and for a few moments simply relished the sensation of having her back in his arms again. A hopeful thought sprang up within him, maybe this was actually the start of a new beginning rather than another ending. He was about to fall asleep again when he felt her begin to stir. The moment of truth had arrived. 

Duffy's eyes flickered open and she looked around, momentarily confused by her surroundings. She licked her lips and smiled softly at Charlie. "Hi." 

"Hi." He tried to roll out from underneath her, aware that they should quickly re-establish some distance between them and try to move on from the events of the previous night. 

Realising what was happening Duffy reached out her hand to stop him. She pressed a light kiss against lips. "Will you just hold me for a little while longer?" 

Charlie rolled onto his side to face her, a small hiss of discomfort escaping him as he did so. Duffy looked over, concern written all over her features. "Are you ok? Have you hurt yourself? Let me take a look." 

He batted away her concern with a slight smile. "My back is just stiff from having slept on the ground all night. I'll be fine." He replied, wrapping his arms back around her. 

"Oh. You must have slept awkwardly because my back's fine." 

He laughed. "That's probably because you didn't sleep on the ground. You made yourself a bed instead!" 

She blushed. "I'm sorry." 

He stroked his fingers across her cheek. "It's ok. I've had worse nights." 

A comfortable quiet enveloped them for several minutes. Neither of them wanted to shatter the feelings of contentment that they both felt but they knew they had to. Duffy sighed sadly. "We should get dressed and go find the others." They shared one last intense kiss that was filled with pain and loss. A single tear ran down her cheek as they parted. Charlie wiped it away with his thumb. 

They sat up and began to dress. Duffy quickly threw on her jacket before pausing and starting to search frantically around the tent. 

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, sensing her rising panic. 

"I can't find my knickers! Where the hell did you throw them last night?" 

He burst out laughing. 

"You're not helping Charlie!" 

He shrugged. "You could just put your trousers on without them." 

She glared at him and continued her search. 

"No-one would know." He reasoned. 

"I would know. You would know!" She let out a frustrated sigh. "Will you please help me find them?" 

"Have you checked inside the sleeping bag?" He queried. 

"Of course I have." She replied dismissively, continuing to search the floor of the tent around her.

Charlie reached inside their sleeping bag, brushing his fingers down her leg as he did. Arriving at the bottom he felt around and quickly located her knickers. Lifting his arm back up he held them out with a smug smile. "I suppose it's easy to miss such a skimpy item." She reached out towards them with a glare but he snatched them away beyond her grasp. 

"Charlie..!" She warned. 

"Maybe you should try asking nicely." 

She rolled her eyes. "Please may I have my knickers back, Charlie?" She asked sarcastically. 

He made a big show of contemplating her request before holding them out to her. Just as she grabbed hold of them he suddenly pulled them away, sending them both crashing to the ground. 

"You did that on purpose, Charlie!" She pouted. 

He laughed and, tangling his hand in her hair, pulled her face down towards his. The kiss started slowly but quickly intensified as they both struggled to control their passions. Breaking the kiss, Duffy sat up. A mixture of emotions crossed her face in rapid succession as she fought an internal battle over what to do. She sighed sadly. Charlie sat up and placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"It's ok." He said, trying his best to sound reassuring even as his heart was breaking. 

Seeing the intense sadness in his eyes, all thoughts of why what they were doing was wrong flew from Duffy's mind in an instant. She couldn't bare to see him hurting like that, knowing she was the cause. She lent forwards and kissed him again. Leaning backwards she pulled him with her until she was lying on the ground with him on top of her. She could feel his excitement growing as he pressed himself against her. He kissed her neck and she let out a throaty moan. Reaching down she quickly undid his belt and pushed down his trousers and boxers. Unlike the previous night, there was no slow build up this time. They were both in need of instant gratification and knew exactly how to satisfy that urge. He entered her quickly and firmly. She wrapped her legs up around his waist, allowing him to thrust deeply into her. The pace was rapid as she encouraged him on with her moans of pleasure and satisfaction. He looked down at her, her face was flushed and though her eyes were half closed he could see the fiery passion burning within them. With one last deep thrust he came, pouring everything he had into her. She let out a final loud moan of pleasure. 

Seconds later as they lay together breathing heavily Duffy suddenly thought she heard a noise nearby. She stopped and listened carefully. There it was again. The sound of someone calling her name. She looked at Charlie with panic in her eyes. He'd heard it too. 

"Shit! Pass me my clothes! Oh bloody hell!" She hissed. They threw on what clothes they could as the voice grew closer. 

"Duffy? Charlie? Are you in there?" They heard Max question from directly outside the tent. 

Charlie crawled towards the door of the tent. As he got up Duffy spotted her knickers lying on top of the sleeping bag. Grabbing them she quickly stuffed them into her trouser pocket. Charlie partially opened the tent zip and faced Max. "Er... Hi!" He greeted Max, trying his best to sound relaxed and cheery. 

"Morning Charlie. Where's Duffy?" 

Charlie opened the rest of the zip and indicated behind him. "She's right there." 

Max looked over at Duffy, there was something odd about her. She'd changed her top since he'd last seen her the previous day. The one she was wearing now looked too big for her... But just the right size for Charlie. She was smiling awkwardly and attempting to smooth down her hair. Her cheeks were very red and there was what looked like a rash of some kind along her jaw. She was sat on the sleeping bag in the middle of the tent. There was only one sleeping bag... His eyes moved back towards Charlie but as they did he caught sight of something poking out from underneath the sleeping bag. He suddenly realised why she'd looked odd - it was her bra he could see peeking out on the floor! 

"Very cosy!" He remarked sarcastically. Looking over at Charlie he realised that the other man's t-shirt was on backwards and his belt was undone. It was blatently obvious what had gone on between them. Max smirked to himself, it would be amusing to watch them try to deny it. 

Charlie cleared his throat awkwardly. It was clear that Max had noticed the single sleeping bag. "It was very cold last night, we needed to stay warm so we, um, decided to share the sleeping bag. To conserve body heat." 

Max raised an eyebrow and smirked. "And I suppose removing your bra was to help conserve body heat too Duffy?" 

Her eyes widened in panic as her mind whirled. "Um... No... I... Er... It was uncomfortable when I laid down... Yes, it was digging in so I took it off." 

"I'm presuming you were having the same issues with your belt were you Charlie?" 

"Um... Yes! It would be very unpleasant to roll onto a belt buckle in the middle of the night." 

"Yeh you wouldn't want to roll onto anything accidently during the night would you?" 

Both men turned to face Duffy at the sound of her clearing her throat. Suddenly nervous she swallowed before speaking. "We, um, should probably go find the others. I don't know about you both but I'm starving!" 

"Yeh you must have worked up quite an appetite being out here all by yourselves last night." Max commented.

An awkward silence descended on the trio. Charlie reached over to grab his socks and boots. "I'll, erm... Just quickly put these on and then leave you to, um, get yourself sorted out Duffy." He mumbled as he tied his laces up. 

He stood up and closed the zip on the tent. Avoiding eye contact with Max, Charlie quickly rebuckled his belt. 

"Charlie, your t-shirt..." 

Looking down he realised it was on backwards. He turned away from Max, his face burning, and quickly corrected it. 

Back inside the tent, Duffy placed her head in her hands and sighed. She then retrieved her underwear and t-shirt. As she dressed her mind whirled - what if Max told the others what he'd seen? What if it got back to Andrew? She knew she was playing a dangerous game, they had been right before, so many people would get hurt. She tried to get a grip on herself. Max wouldn't tell anyone, he was a good man and wouldn't want to hurt her. She knew she'd hurt him though. She didn't regret sleeping with him, he was attractive and they'd had fun together but there had been one major problem - he wasn't Charlie. Try as she might to fight it, Charlie was the one who held her heart, always had and probably always would. What the hell was she going to do? Her heart begged her to damn the consequences and go be with Charlie but her head resisted - she couldn't do that to her boys. Finishing getting dressed, she pulled her hair up and tied it back as best she could before exiting the tent. 

The atmosphere was thick with tension as the three of them collapsed the tent down and put it back into Charlie's bag. They then set off for the rendezvous point, Max leading the way. Charlie reached out and placed his hand on Duffy's arm to catch her attention as she had been purposely avoiding looking at him. She jumped slightly and pulled her arm back, shaking her head softly. He sighed sadly. 

A little while later the trio reached the meeting point. Spotting Holly stood with Tina and Chloe, Max called out to her. "I see you found your bunch of missing nurses." Gesturing behind him, he continued. "I eventually found these two cold and hungry out by the clearing." 

Walking through the door of the cabin, they were immediately hit by the very welcome smell of food. They quickly devoured the platefuls that Sean placed down in front of them. 

Scooping up the last mouthful of his breakfast, Charlie saw Holly come bounding into the room clutching an envelope. "Is everyone ready for the final challenge?" The group groaned in response. Opening the envelope she read out the instructions. "Treasure hunt time. Use the coloured sticks to randomly select pairs. Each pair grabs the matching coloured envelope and needs to solve the clue within to find an object. Place all 4 objects together to solve the final clue, complete your course and be allowed to head home." 

She held out the coloured sticks and each member of the group picked one. Duffy grabbed hers without paying much attention to what everyone else had. She looked down at it - it was blue. She looked up to see who had the stick that matched hers. She let out a wry chuckle and shook her head as she realised that Charlie was also clutching a blue stick. 

Charlie looked up and caught her eye. He smiled shyly and shrugged. The group formed into their pairs and Holly handed out the envelopes. "Right everyone, we need to be back here in 90 minutes time ok?" 

Holly handed the blue envelope to Charlie. "Try not to get lost this time you two!" 

The pair rolled their eyes and headed off outside. After they'd walked for a few minutes and he was sure that they were out of earshot, Charlie stopped and placed his hand on Duffy's arm. "Well?" 

"Well what?" She replied with a sigh. 

"Are you going to say anything or just ignore me for the rest of the day?"

"Let's just find the clue so we can head home ok?" She replied, walking away from him.

Charlie looked down at the clue and furrowed his brow. He was pretty certain they were meant to be going the other way. He looked up and called out to her. "Duffy! You're going the wrong way, the clue is over..." He wasn't able to complete the sentence as he was interrupted by Duffy letting out a startled scream followed by some rustling and finally a thud.


	5. Chapter 5

"Duffy?! Oh shit! Don't move, I'm coming!" He ran in the direction he'd last seen her head in, skidding to a sudden stop when he found himself at the top of a slope. "Duffy!!" He screamed. Hearing a load groan, he looked down and saw her lying at the bottom of the slope. He carefully made his way down til he reached her. "Bloody hell, what happened? Where are you hurt?" 

Duffy rolled her eyes at his first question. "I slipped. My ankle and arm hurt." 

He took a quick look at her injuries and surmised that they were probably just bruised. He helped her to stand and then motioned for her to sit on a nearby log. As she sat down she let out a squeal. He looked at her confused and startled. Blushing, she avoided his gaze. "I, um, might have also bruised my bum when I fell." She mumbled. 

Charlie couldn't help himself, he burst out laughing. Duffy scowled. "It's not funny Charlie! It hurts!" She whined. 

He attempted to compose himself. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh but..." 

The scowl on her face started to waver and she began to giggle. Charlie placed his arm around her shoulders and she rested her head against his chest. "I could rub it better for you if you'd like?" He suggested with a devilish grin. 

"Charlie!" A brief look of shock crossed her face but it soon dissolved into more giggles. 

After a few moments their giggles subsided and a comfortable silence enveloped them. Charlie looked over at Duffy and smiled. "Well now you can no longer run away from me, I think it's time we had a chat, don't you?" 

Her gaze dropped to her lap and she tentatively crossed her arms. She was quiet for several minutes. Charlie sighed, they clearly couldn't continue like this but she seemed hell bent on ignoring the situation. "Fine. If you don't want to talk then ok, I respect that, but please at least listen to what I have to say." She gave no indication either way, just continued to stare at the ground by her feet. He took a deep breath. 

"First things first, I love you. I know that, as always, our timing is terrible but the last few months have made me realise that I was wrong to let you walk away, that I don't want to lose you again. I want us to be together Duffy and I think deep down you want that too." 

"I can't..." She whispered. 

"Can't or won't?" He countered. 

A single tear escaped and ran down her cheek. "I can't do that to the boys, it would devastate them." 

"You'd sacrifice your own happiness for them." It wasn't a question, Charlie knew the answer already. 

"In a heartbeat." 

Her selfless nature just made him love her more. He placed his arms back around her and pulled her close to him, placing a light kiss on her forehead. That she didn't resist his comfort made him hopeful. "We can't keep kidding ourselves that this will just go away if we ignore it long enough. We tried that before and look what happened." 

She pulled away from him again. "We got caught up in the heat of the moment! It was a one off." 

Charlie sighed. "That excuse is getting old and tired Duffy." 

She smiled sadly. "Well our other usual excuse of 'oops I drank too much last night' doesn't really apply this time does it?" 

He chuckled briefly. She had him there! Any humour he felt quickly dissolved though as he once again contemplated their situation. "You keep saying it won't happen again yet every time an opportunity presents itself we just can't seem to help ourselves, can we?" 

"And that's why we agreed to the terms that we did, Charlie!" 

"Terms?! You make it sound like a business arrangement!" 

"We had no choice, Charlie! What else were we supposed to do?! We couldn't carry on the way we were doing. It was never going to work long term!"

"And neither is strictly controlling our interactions outside of work." He fired back at her. 

"Oh this is utterly ridiculous!" She remarked in an aspirated tone. Without thinking, she began to stand up. As soon as she put weight onto her ankle, however, it buckled and she let out a pained cry. Charlie jumped up to help her but she batted his hands away angrily. "Will you just piss off and leave me alone?!" 

He finally snapped and began shouting at her. "You know what? Fine! Have it your way, I've had enough! I offer you everything and you just throw it back in my face. I've tried to play by your rules even though I think they're stupid. I played along because all I ever wanted was to make you happy. To see you smile. All because the first time I laid eyes on you I was stupid enough to fall totally and utterly in love with you!" Turning, he strode away from her. He didn't want her to see the tears that were gathering in his eyes. 

Duffy froze in stunned silence for several moments, trying to process what he'd just admitted. Why did things have to be so complicated? They were the best of friends, always there for each other through good times and bad. The one person each of them could rely on without question. It would have been so much more simple if they'd been truly content to stay 'just good friends' but that was never going to be possible once their hearts had gotten involved and they'd fallen so deeply and irreversibly in love with each other. 

"Charlie, please stop! Charlie!" Ignoring the pain in her ankle she tried to follow him but only made a few stumbled steps before the pain became too much and she fell to the floor, crying out as she did. 

The sound of her cry made Charlie stop and turn around. He walked back towards where he had left her. She was sat on the ground, clutching her ankle and trying to hide her tears. He sat down beside her with a sigh. "Will you let me take another look at that ankle?" She shook her head. "Duffy..." She held out her arms towards him. He shifted closer to her and gave her a cuddle. He was surprised when she began to sob against his chest. "Hey, it's not as bad as all that. Come on now." Placing his finger under her chin he tilted her face up to look at him. Her cheeks were streaked with tears which he gently wiped away. "I didn't mean to shout at you but you really are the most frustrating and stubborn woman I've ever met!"

She smiled slightly. "You're pretty stubborn too Charlie, anyone else would have given up years ago but not you!" 

"Well I happen to believe you're worth fighting for." He replied. 

She looked into his eyes and the words failed her. She stammered but nothing came out. She suddenly saw her own panic briefly reflected in Charlie's eyes before being replaced by crushing devastation. He began to turn away from her. Her chance was slipping away! Her hand shot out towards him and she turned his face back towards hers. Leaning forwards she kissed him.

All too soon the kiss ended and she sat back. Looking upwards she sighed. "Why is it so hard for us to do the right thing? It shouldn't be this hard!" 

"Depends what you think is the right thing." 

"We're both married Charlie. We both have children. The right thing would be to forget everything that's gone on between us and walk away..." 

He began to speak, to try to beg her to reconsider but she placed her finger over his lips to silence him so she could continue. "But I can't do that, I don't want to do that. I also can't risk destroying my sons' happiness either by walking away from Andrew." 

Charlie lent back slightly. "What do you suggest we do then?" 

"The only option left is to go back to the way things were. It's a dangerous choice but I can't see any other way that we can solve this, can you?" 

Charlie thought for a brief moment. "There isn't one." 

"You realise we'll be risking things getting out of control again." She responded cautiously. 

"We both know that'd probably happen regardless of the choice we make." 

He cupped her face with his hands and looked into her eyes. "Love you." 

She smiled. "Love you too." Their lips met softly in a series of little kisses that gradually grew in intensity until, their passions building, Charlie began to kiss down her neck. Her head fell backwards and she let out a small moan of pleasure before regaining her senses enough to speak. "Charlie..! Not here!" 

He lifted his head and regarded her with a naughty grin. She laughed. "You'll get us in trouble for being late again if you keep doing that!" She held onto his roaming hands and gave him what she hoped was a stern look. "Charlie, control yourself! We've only got..." She let go of his hand, which immediately went back to caressing her thigh, to look at her watch. "20 mins to find the clue and get back to the others!" 

"Well it's back up that way." Charlie pointed in the direction of the top of the slope Duffy had slipped down. 

"And how exactly do you suggest I get back up there?" 

He shrugged and went back to kissing her neck. She was about to object again when she felt his teeth graze against her skin. He slid open the zip of her jacket and began to grope her breasts through the fabric of her top. "Oh bugger it!" She mumbled and felt Charlie let out a brief chuckle in response. She wound her arms around him, her fingers playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck. Charlie moved his head to look at her. "That tickles!" Seeing Duffy smirk in response he moved his hands from her breasts to her ribs and began to tickle her. She giggled and wriggled against his hands. 

A couple of minutes later they both lay on the ground, attempting to catch their breaths inbetween their kisses. Duffy rolled to lay on her side facing Charlie and her fingertips began to trace invisible patterns across his chest. Charlie sighed contentedly and placed a light kiss against her hair. They lay together for several more minutes, simply enjoying the moment before Charlie pushed himself up onto his arms. "I'd best get you up off this floor so we can carry on with our task." Once standing he slipped his arm around her waist to support her and they slowly made their way along the bottom of the slope til they came across a shallower part which would be easier to climb. 

It took several minutes to scramble back up the slope, their pace hampered by Duffy's bruised arm and ankle. Once at the top Charlie insisted that Duffy sit and wait whilst he quickly located the clue. Returning a short time later he showed it to her before placing it in his backpack and helping her begin the slow walk back to join the others. 

As they approached the cabin they spotted the rest of their friends stood outside arguing. Chloe was the first to spot them. "Oh my god, what happened to you two?!" The others quickly turned to look at them. 

Looking a tad sheepish, Duffy replied. "Um, I slipped." She sat down on the bench and Sean took a look at her ankle while the others solved the treasure hunt clues. He agreed with Charlie's assesment of her injuries. "You know the drill, plenty of rest and keep it elevated. Give it a week and you'll be fine." 

The final clues solved, the group gathered their belongings and made their way back to the minibus, all of them looking forward to a hot bath and the comfort of their own beds. "Well that was quite an adventure!" Tina declared as they all took their seats and fastened their belts. 

"It certainly was." Charlie agreed giving Duffy a cheeky wink. She smiled in return, briefly entwining her fingers with his, their hands hidden from the others by her bag which lay in her lap. 

"Let's just go home shall we?" Chloe complained causing the rest of the group to laugh loudly as the bus set off.


End file.
